LAMB, Joseph Percy

LAMB, Joseph Percy (1891-1969)
St Helens 1906; Birmingham 1913; Rochdale 1914 (DL 1921); Sheffield 1922-1956 (DL 1922, CL 1927)
First as Deputy to R J Gordon and then as Chief, he transformed the moribund SHEFFIELD service into a leader, his achievement being crowned by the new central library opened in 1934 and by the pioneer and model information service deriving initially from experience of heavy bombing during World War II. His Manual of commercial and technical libraries (1955) was highly regarded. He could be difficult to work for and to co-operate with and made less impression on the LA Council - of which he was a member for many years - than his status and experience would seem to have warranted; he appeared to have a love/hate relationship with the professional body and when in London displayed some measure of provincial awkwardness.
EA Melrose 'J P Lamb' in The provision and use of library and documentation services (1966) pp1-28;
J G Ollé 'J P Lamb: the last of the patriarchs' (LR, 24, Autumn 1974), pp295-300.